Summer 2011

Field and Stream

Features

The Storyteller—Patrick McManus ’56, ’59 MA ::
Patrick McManus’s comic formula depends on his creation of a world of oddly
named characters with generous and adventurous souls. And a markedly different
perspective. “As far back as I can remember,” he writes, “I have seen funny. What may horrify normal people may strike me as hilarious.” by Tim Steury

What’s the Catch? ::
The rainbow trout has evolved over millions of years to survive in varied but
particular circumstances in the wild. The hatchery rainbow flourishes in its relatively
new, artificial surroundings, but its acquired skill set compromises its evolution.
The rainbow has so straddled the worlds of nature and nurture, says biologist Gary
Thorgaard, that it has become “a world fish.” by Eric Sorensen

The Things We Do for Our Dogs—and what they do for us ::
In 1974 between 15 and 18 million dogs and cats were killed in animal control
centers. To address what he perceived as “wide-spread irresponsible animal
ownership,” Leo Bustad ’49 DVM created the People-Pet Partnership and
promoted research into the human-animal bond. Although it is impossible to
assess the total impact of his work, the number of animals killed today is down
to four million. And the pet-people bond manifests itself in ways beyond his
comprehension. by Hannelore Sudermann

{ WEB EXCLUSIVE–Gallery:Cougs and their dogs WSU alums, faculty, staff, and family with their dogs...send in your own}

A plan for Washington

In 1972, as Scott Carson was preparing to graduate from Washington
State University, a counselor told him he was still six credits shy of
his degree. The Vietnam veteran was astonished. “He said I had to
complete these physical education credits.”

Carson had already attended several semesters of community college,
was married, had served his country, and had only budgeted for two
years in Pullman to finish his business degree. That a handful of
phys. ed. credits stood in the way of his degree seemed absurd.

But the counselor was unwavering. Carson took it to the department
head, who insisted that it was a state requirement. He said the only
thing Carson could do was try talking to President Glenn Terrell. “I
said, ‘Who is President Terrell?,’” says Carson, offering this parting
story at the end of our interview about the Washington State University
Foundation’s fundraising campaign.

“So I went straight to the president’s house on College Hill and
knocked on the front door,” he says. A woman answered. Carson asked to
see the president. “Do you have an appointment?” she asked. Behind her,
a voice said, “Who is it?” “It’s a student,” she replied. A tall lean
Terrell appeared. Carson told him his story. “And,” he tells me, “he
let me graduate.”

Decades later, when Carson was appointed CEO of Boeing Commercial
Airplanes, the phone rang. “It was Dr. Terrell saying he knew I’d turn
out OK,” he says. “Can you believe he remembered?”

Carson has more than made up for the six credits he owes WSU. As the
head of the University’s billion-dollar campaign, the Boeing retiree
spends many of his days on WSU Foundation business.

Building a billion-dollar campaign was no simple matter. The process
started on campus in 2006, when the departments and colleges at WSU
were asked to create wish lists. They came up with meaty requests to
fund scholarships, endowed chairs, and research initiatives. The
result added up to well over $1 billion. Then the list was handed over
to the University leaders as well as the WSU Board of Regents and the
Trustees of the WSU Foundation. With the help of the Regents and
volunteers, the Foundation and administration honed it down to what
seemed most relevant to the needs of the state and the University. And
to a goal of $1 billion, which was announced to the public last
December.

The revised plan not only shows the University’s priorities, but
where the University and its volunteers believe Washington is headed,
says Carson. Many key volunteers are helping guide it. Hotelier Larry
Culver, for example, has a focus on the hospitality school, Jeff
Gordon of Gordon Brothers Winery is heading the viticulture steering
board, and Seattle TV journalist Kathi Goertzen has been a strong
advocate for supporting students, to name just a few.

“One of the things the campaign is going to let us do, is to see the
totality of the school,” says Carson. “Even in Pullman, people don’t
see the whole thing.” Take the Vancouver and Tri-Cities campuses, he
says. Without WSU, you have communities of students, many of them
working jobs and supporting families, who wouldn’t otherwise have
access to a four-year university. Then again, you have the unique
connection with a national laboratory with WSU Tri-Cities’ ties to the
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, says Carson.

And there’s the campus in Spokane, which in its collaboration with
other schools including Spokane’s community colleges, the University of
Washington, and Eastern Washington University, creates a strong
academic community, he says.

The fundraising can be broken down into some major categories spread
among campuses and colleges. The College of Agriculture seeks $190
million, a large portion ($96 million) of which goes toward developing
sustainable food systems. The College of Engineering and Architecture
wants $125 million to fulfill priorities including sustainable energy
and design and engineering for health. “We’re way behind the world in
terms of the sustainable push,” says Carson of the country. That WSU
has embraced this expertise is laudable, he says, “But we’re coming at
it so slowly.”

The College of Veterinary Medicine seeks $133.3 million, about half
of which would go to addressing global infectious disease, another
issue Carson and many of his business cohorts have realized affects
not only our region’s health and food systems, but also our business
interactions. WSU’s newest college, the Murrow College of
Communication, has a $46 million goal, part of which is pushing beyond
print and broadcast to the fast-changing world of digital media.

Other campus programs include $24 million for a new WSU Museum of
Art, $4 million for the libraries, and $15 million for training health
care professionals at WSU Spokane.

One of the keys to the campaign is to find ways donors can connect
what is important to them to what is happening at the University, says
Carson. He couldn’t help tying his own experiences to the needs of the
school. It started years ago, when he was volunteering with the
College of Business and two of his sisters died, leaving children. The
experience prompted Carson and his wife Linda to donate $100,000 for a
scholarship fund for students who had lost a parent before graduating
high school.

Since then, there have been many areas of Carson’s life where his
experiences have touched back to possibilities on campus. The Carsons
invested in a professional development center to help the College of
Business provide guidance and real-world experiences to create a
“polished” graduate ready to enter the professional business world.

And “as I traveled overseas I thought ‘It is a pity how poorly
prepared Americans are to do business overseas,’” says Carson, which led
to creating scholarships for students to study business abroad.

In December when Washington State’s campaign moved into its public
phase, it was over half-way to its goal with more than $532 million in
pledges and gifts. “If we can raise that kind of money in the heart of
the recession, as the economy starts to improve the opportunity for us
to have the organization in place, the awareness in place, it will
make the goals of the campaign a much less overwhelming task,” says
Carson.